moment, to signify that Winny was to share with his children by the second marriage.

The amount of this portion which, after much delay, conjecture, and dispute, was paid into Roger's hands, somewhat exceeded the sum with which Winny had, in the days of her maidenhood, dazzled the eyes of the honest rustic; and Mrs. Woodford did not forget to dwell upon the circumstance with no small exultation, that after all, she had kept her word in bestowing on him a fortune.

Poor Roger, however, soon found that though his anxiety for his girls' future provision was thus removed, and the necessity for his own indefatigable labour lessened, his real comforts were not much increased by this accession of fortune. Mrs. Woodford was no longer content with the inglorious obscurity in which she had lingered out the years of her marriage, she was determined, as she said, "to enjoy life, and do as other people did ;" and her poor husband had soon the mortification of seeing his house crowded with all the idle, the dissipated, or ill-natured people of the neighbourhood, who came to laugh at Mrs. Woodford, and devour the good things with which she repaid their condescension.

The farmer bore this invasion on his domestic peace, and his moderate income for a little while, with his accustomed good humour; but he soon discovered that these very friendly people were not content with laughing at his wife, but that his own rusticity and want of information on all topics, except those which related to his farm, made him a constant butt to his

"

visitors, and he determined at once to put a stop to this species of entertainment at least.

"From this day, Winny, henceforward," he observed in a decided tone, "the parlour is yours, and the kitchen is mine; you may make yourself as great a fool as you like, but I wont be made so any more."

Mrs. Woodford scolded, remonstrated, and persuaded, but all in vain; no entreaties could ever induce the farmer to put his foot within the parlour, or, as Mrs. Woodford chose to call it the drawing-room; and after many awkward and ineffectual attempts to disguise the cause of his absence, she was at length compelled to avow to all her visitors, that Mr. Woodford's eccentricities induced him to prefer the company of his servants to more polished and suitable society.

Mrs. Woodford and her favourite daughter, now, therefore, reigned uncontrolled in their peculiar domain; the latter dressed in the most preposterous style, was the admiration and delight of her mother's visitors, while Grace, seated close to her father's elbow, by the kitchen fire-side, during the winter, beguiled the hours with her chat to him while she plied her needle, or fixed the attention, and called forth the admiration of the homely circle, by reading to them aloud such books as suited their capacity, and possessed sufficient interest to rouse their dormant faculties. While in the summer, her evenings were spent delightfully in accompanying her father to view the progress of his different crops, count the increase of his flocks, and watch their sportive frolics, or sitting by his side with her voice mocking the carolling of the birds, or excite his smiles

by relating such tales of wonder or of interest, as her very limited acquaintance with books had enabled her to collect for his entertainment.

It had seemed so perfectly natural for Grace to follow her father, that it scarcely excited a remark from Mrs. Woodford, until her attention was called repeatedly to the subject, by inquiries after her youngest daughter, which she was puzzled how to reply to, and which determined her, to use her own expression, to turn over a new leaf with Miss Grace, and not suffer her to lose her time and disgrace her (mamma), by learning her father's low ways and vulgar habits.

This was an accusation which Grace, young as she was, felt was most unjust towards her simple goodmeaning parent. He was illiterate, unversed in the ways of the world, and unapt in acquiring its manners, but in the true sense of the words, he was refined and polite; far, far, more so than many of her mother's cringing, simpering, scandalising acquaintances.

Mrs. Woodford was thunderstruck at the eloquent and spirited defence which Grace, the hitherto meek, gentle Grace, gave utterance to, on hearing the charge against her father; but she was still more astonished, when in reply to her (Mrs. Wodford's) injunctions that she should henceforth take her tea, &c., in the drawingroom, Grace bursting into tears, observed

"If my father orders me, mamma, to leave him, I will come, but —

"But what, Miss, will you dare oppose me, I say you shall come, let your father say or do whatever he may."

Mr. Woodford at this moment made his appearance,